Puzzle game



Nov. 10 1925. 1,560,921

B. VON BULTZINGSLQWEN PUZZLE GAME Filed Feb. 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR /Z a f ir/ma Ala $444 M n 7 Nov. 10, 1925- 1,560,921 7 Y a. VON BULTZINGSLOWEN' PUZZLE GAME Filed Feb. 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 STATION- I N 5 EN TOR 49% ,m, a aw.

/ BY MATTORNEY 7 I 2* L JQYQELFLMEEE Nov. 10,1925. 1,560,921

- B. VON BULTZINGSLUWEN PUZZLE GAME Filed Feb. 25, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet .3

Patented Nov. ll), 1925.

NETED BRUNO m LB'U'LTZINGSLGWEN, or NEW ORK,

' ruzznn earth.

Application filed. liebrua-ry T aZZ whom it may concern:

"Be it known that I, BRUNO VON Br'jnr mesnownn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of Bronxiand State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Puzzle Games, of-whioh the following is a specification.

'llhis. invention relatesito gamesandmhas for us obyec't: to provide apuzzlegameconsi'sting of a substantially annular track havmg turntables and atleast three-members slidably engaging, the, said track, two of which? are capable of. being moved continue ously ineither direction all around the track,

2 while the thirdimember canbe moved around thetrackonly upyto a'certain obstruction eitheriinone or the otherdirection. lhe problem to be solved with this puzzle game is: to reverse the positionsof two of the members located on the track on opposite sides of the obstruction, while movingthem or either-of them only in association with the third member.

Myinvention willbe more fully understood by reference to. the accompanying drawings in whichi similar reference characters denote corresponding.partsand in, which Fig. 1-is a;plan view of my puzzle. game; Fig; 2 a cross-section on line.2-:2 of' Fig. 1 Fig.8 a longitudinal. section online 3-3 of Fig. 1; Fig. 4;" a longitudinal section: on line 4r l of;Fig. 1; Fig. -5. atop plan-view of: a, detail thereof; Fig. 6 a. central section thereof; Fig. 7 a similansection at a right angle to that of? Fig.6; Fig. 8a top. plan view of amodification of the puzzle game;

Fig.9 a cross-seotionon line 9-9 of Fig. 8;

10 a longitudinal section on line- 10-10 0ft Fig. 8; Fig. 11 alongitudinalsectionon line11-'11 of Fig.8; Fig.12 a plan view of a detail of said game; Fig. 13 a side elevation thereofyFig. l asection. 011 line 14:14t ofiFig. 13; Fig.15 a top plan view ofia second modification;. Fig. 16 a' cross-section on line: 16-16 of Fig. 15; Fig. 17 a longitudinal: section 011 line 17-17 of-Fig. 15; Fig. 18 a plan viewrof a detail; Fig. 19 a side view thereof and Fig. 20 ase'ction on line 2020 of Fig. 18.

In principle, all three modifications are the same, the latter differing only constructionally.

In the drawing 10 denotes aplatform substautially rectangular in shape and having rounded corners. This platform is provided 25, 1925. SeriaI N'o. 113172.

witlr a substantially annular track composed of a U-shaped maintrack 11, discshaped rotary track members 12 at the ends'of the main track and an intermediary or branch track 13 between said rotary track members, thelatterbeing capable of being brought to register alternately -with said main and branch 1 tracks. Slidably engaging said.

tracks, aremembers 1 1, 14, and 14 The members 14, 14, marked Car 2 and Car.

1 respectively,.are capable of being moyed either clockwise or anticlockwise completely around sald annular track. About centrally of. the U-shaped traclrllllthere isprovided an" obstruction. 15, theobject of which is to prevent the third member 143 from being.

moved in any one direction completely around the track. On the platform, are initial positions16, 17 and 18,.marked Sta tion A, Station Band Roundhouse for the three. members, and positions of destination 19, 20, 21 and 22, marked Station 1, Station. 2, Depot l and Depot 2 for the members lt and 14'.

Now in Figs. -1-6, the platform is in form of a hollowcasing constructed of two interengaging sections 10 10 fixed to one another at 10. The tracksl l and 18* in the platform andfthe tracks12 in the rotary members 12 are just plain slots, those in' the rotary. members or turntables extending. diametrically and being open. at one end,- as at 12 and'c1osed at the opposite end, as at 12. Flach turn-table is mounted in a circular hole 10 provided in the platform and supported on bent strips of metal 12eyeleted or otherwise pivoted centrally, as at 12 on the bottomsection 10ml" the platform and fixedflto the uppersectionby short lugs 12 engaging peripheral notchesl2 in the edge of: the disc 12 and bent over the same. 'llhemembers 14,1 1" and 1 1 are buttonshaped, ice. are formed with narrow vertical shanks-23 capable of passing through theslots-or tracks and. formed at their free ends with horizontal flanges 24 to prevent themfrom being reinovedfrom the tracks.

The obstruction 15 is in form of a loop designated in the drawing as Tunnel and fixed to the platform by short angular lugs 15* projecting from the endsthereof through recesses 10 in theupper section of the. platform. The member 14 is provided with a. vertical. projection 14, which prevents the same from passing through the loop or tunnel 15. The turn-tables are each formed with a circumferential projection 12 to serve as a grasp, when manipulating the same, and a suitable stop (not shown) is provided, for limiting the movement thereof.

In the modification, according to Figs. 84 1, the platform is made of a single metal plate, whose edges are bent downwardly to form a base. The turn-tables 12 are plain circular discs supported on the platform and eyeleted centrally at 12 The tracks 11, 13 and 25 in the platform and turn-tables respectively are raised, the edges of the slots being bent both vertically upwards and horizontally. The grooves formed by the vertical bends serve to slidably engage the tails 24 of the members 14, 141 and 1 1 while the lateral flanges formed by the horizontal bend prevent the removal of said members.

Instead of the loop or tunnel 15, two upwardly projecting wings or flaps are provided, one at each side of the main track 11 to serve as obstructions, the same being spaced apart a distance smaller than the width of the member 1 1 but wide enough to permit the passage of the other two members.

For limiting the movement of the turntables, each of them is provided with a circularly curved slot 26 into which projects a lug 1O provided on the platform. The turntable discs 12 are each also formed with circumferential upwardly projecting flanges 12 which are adapted to close the ends of the tracks 11, 13, when the tracks in the turn-tables are not in range with the latter.

In the modification according to Figs. 1520, the tracks 11 13 and 27 are made of separate hollow or tubular pieces of metal substantially of rectangular cross section and slotted longitudinally. The same are riveted to the platform and turn-tables, as at 28. In every other respect, the construction is substantially the same as in the other modification.

The operation is as follows First. Assuming Car 1 to occupy the position Station B, Car 2 the position Station A and the third member 1 1 which in Fig. 15 is designated Locomotive to occup y the position marked Roundhouse. It is required to move with the Locomotive Car 2 from Station A to Station 2 and Car 1 from Station B to Station 1 and to return the Locomotive to the Roundhouse, the condition being that the members 14, 14 must never be moved alone, but always in association with the member 1%, the latter either in front, middle or at the rear thereof.

Second. Assuming Car 1 located at Depot 2, Car 2 at Depot 1 and the Locomotive at the Roundhouse. It is required to move with the Locomotive Car 1 from Depot 2 to Station 1 and Car 2 from Depot 1 to Station 2 and return the Locomotive to the Roundhouse, following the same rule as before.

The solutions are as follows:

Bring member or locomotive 141 over turntable (say the left one) onto the left side of the U-shaped track 11, (11 or 11 and push by it the member 14 or Car 1 from Station A into the tunnel 15 (or space between the obstructions 15, 15', Figs. 8 and 15). Then move the locomotive back over the left turn-table, track 13 (13 or 18 onto the right side of the U-shaped track and push by it member 14: (Car 1) from Station B into said tunnel or space between the obstructions next to Car 2. Then push both Cars 1 and 2 with the Locomotive in advance over the right-hand side of the U-shaped track and the right turn-table to the Roundhouse and Depots 1 and 2. Then with the Locomotive, bring Car 1 over the right turn-table into the tunnel, leaving Car 2 at Depot 1 and bring the Locomotive back over the right turn-table to Car 2. YVith the Locomotive Car 2 is then pushed to Station 2 over the right turn-table. After bringing the Locomo tive over the right turn-table, straight track, left turn-table onto the left side of the main track close to Car 1, the latter is pushed by it to Station 1 and the Locomotive thereupon returned to its position at the Roundhouse.

The second problem is similarly solved.

hat I claim is 1. A. puzzle game comprising a platform having a fixed main track, a fixed branch track and at least two movable tracks of which each one is capable of being brought into range alternately with the main track and branch track, at least three members capable of moving through said tracks and an obstruction at the main track preventing the passage of one of said members.

2. A puzzle game comprising a platform having a fixed main track, a fixed branch track and at least two movable tracks of which each one is capable of being brought into range alternately with the main track and branch track, at least three members capable of moving through said tracks, an obstruction at the main track preventing the passage of one of said members and designations on said platform of initial positions and positions into which said members are to be moved, while solving the puzzle.

3. A puzzle game comprising a platform formed with a U-shaped main track, two turn-tables each formed with a track closed at one end and open at the other end and each arranged near one end of said main track, an intermediate track extending be tween said turn-tables, the track on each of said turn-tables being capable of being brought into range alternately with said main track and intermediate track, a numvberof members capable of moving along said tracks, means at the main track for preventing the continuous movement of one of said members through the main track and designations on said platform for the initial positions of and the positions of destination for said members.

4. A puzzle game comprising a platform formed with a U-shaped main track :01 groove, two turn-tables each formed with a track closed at one end and open at the other end and each arranged near one end of said main track, an intermediate track extending between said turn-tab1es, the track on each of said turn-tables being capable of being brought into range alternately with said main track and intermediate track, a number of members capable of moving in said tracks, means at the main track for preventing the continuous passage of oneoif said members through the main track, means for limiting the movement of said turntables and designations on saidplatform for the initial positions of and the positions of destination for said members.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

BRUNO VON BULTZINGSLOWEN. 

